, 1887-06-21
CALAMITY JANE.
The Heroine of Dime Novel Tales in
Town.
lrtHIHruEgU EE Fll g.Hgr
She Gives a Sketch of Her Remark.
able Career,
And Tells Something About chey.
enne's Early Days.

Calamity Jane (Mary Jane Steers) ar
rived in the city from the East Sunday.
This woman is a genuine character in
Western history, and will be remembered
in the annals of Wyoming long after more
useful and better members of society are
forgotten. She was seen by a LEADER
representative last evening and gave that
individual a very fair sketch of her life,
much of which will be recognized as the
truth by several of our citizens who recol-
lect Calamity" as a beautiful and dan
gerous courtesan, who seemed to take a
devilish delight in fascinating her victims
and then casting them aside as a child
does ar old toy. This wreck of what
was once one of the most beautiful wemen
in the West said among other things:
1T hardly seems to me that | was born
over forty years ago Still, I've seen
enough of life to have lived a century.
Why, when | first came to Cheyenne
there was not a respectable shelter in the
place, and the proprietor of a tent was a
lucky person indeed"
you undoubtedly speak correctly,
Mrs. Steers said the reporter, but
most OF your time has been spent else
where, has it not2"
True, | never did stop in Cheyenne
very long, but l have seen a great deal
while | was here. Why, ] remember see
ing Mr. -" naming a gentleman now
a shining light in one of our churches,
ride into every saloon in this town n
day, and fire his Winchester at every man
he saw who didn't wear a big white hat.
But my most exciting personal experiences
in the West were at Bismarck, Deadwood
and Rawlins. At Bismarck 1 was court
ed on n occasion by a pretty little army
officer who didn't have brains enough to
dirty a handkerchief but, lord, he was
nervy, and one day challenged another
officer who spoke to me to fight a duel,
and those two fools actually went across
the river and shot at each other until one
of them was killed, The dead man hap
pened to be a great %fayorite at the fort
and it began to look as though the soldiers.
and bullwhackers would lynch the other
fellow and myself L became nearly
frightened out of my wits and started at
once for Deadwood dressed in mems
clothes and riding a broncho. l tell you
that was a tough trip. | lost the road
and for six days ate nothing but a couple
of biscuits. L finally reached the hills and
was SO pleased with the way in which l
could get around in mems clothes that |
bought a new suit and started out to find
work. [ didn't happen onto any
thing in Deadwood that suited
me, and finally vent to whacking
mules between that place and Cheyenne.
| made fully ten trips, and no one ever
knew that L was other than Just what |
appeared to be. | became tired of their
life, and embarked in a business that you
nor no one else will ever learn anything
about from me; but 1 will say that 1 be-
came well acquainted with every road
agent who helped to hold Up a Black
Hills coach. Like everything else, l
became weary of that business, although
there was enough excitement in it, and lit
out for Lander, and wasn't in that town
over twenty four hours before a drunken
cowboy had killed a storekeeper on my
account. OF course | was sorry, but |
couldl help it. Then | vent to Raw
Inns, and was in hat town when the Utes
attacked the place at midday, and remem-
Der well the night when Lacey and Opium
Bob were strung up at the stockyards. |
was married to Mr.. Steers in that town
two years age and have lived there most
of the time since. We have been visiting
my husbands family back in Wisconsin
are on our way to Rawlins. l wanted
to go to Lusk. as | hear that is a lively
town, but Mr.. Steers says we had better
home"
There was a history OF your life pub
lished in an Eastern paper some time
since. Was it true2"
II read that. No, it was a pack of
lies. l very seldom talk about myself,
but when | do | tell the truth. l can
prove every word I've told you by people
right in this town.
The reporter told her that proof was
unnecessary, as he himself could remem-
Der many Of her escapades of ten years
ago. CalamitY's one overruling passion
now is her love for strong drink, and
about 10 o'clock last night she was ar
rested in an Eddy street saloon, but was
released upon the presentation Of a physi-
vans certificate hat she was in a rather
delicate condition. Calamity Jane vas
born of poor parents at Fort Washable, /
this territory, and was adopted into the
family of an officer stationed there, but
ran away and entered upon a life of shame
when only 10 years of age. Since hat
time she has had a varied career, and it
would take volumes 10 do justice to the
history of this remarkable woman
Miraculous Escape.
WV. Reed, druggist, of Winchester.
Ind, writes: One OF my customers,
Mrs, Louisa Pike, Bartonia, Randolph